Pens and Problems
by WiseGirl1609
Summary: Katherine has had a hard past. She decides to run away and discovers hidden talents. She uses those talents to help support some very special people in need. Written for the Newsies Pape Selling Competition.


**Newsies Pape Selling Competition: Freedom**

 **Task Three:** Write about a Newsie promoting some sort of freedom.

 **Prompts used:**

 **(Advocacy)** Women's Rights

 **(Character)** Katherine Plumber

 **Word Count:** 9664

 **Disclaimer:** I, very obviously, do not own Newsies. Nope. Absolutely no way.

Katherine watched her brother fume and pace around the house. As a young teenager, her twenty-three year old brother Thomas did many things that terrified her half to death.

Katherine got quite angry at her brother. No, not angry. Furious. What does he think he could do that will get her father's attention? Her father was, for heaven's sake, virtually impossible to impress! Honestly, she had no idea why her father treated her like the special toy in a box of expensive playthings.

Katherine nervously continued eating her popcorn cereal, never taking her eyes off of her tyrant of a brother. Her father was reading the day's newspaper, completely ignoring Thomas.

"Father! I need to take a loan of money to work to keep the business going!" Thomas shouted through gritted teeth. He had started a business almost a year ago that wasn't earning as much as hoped.

"Son, just a fortnight ago I gave you enough money to start up another business if you wished. Yet here you are again, screaming your head off that you need more money. I'm getting suspicious, Thomas." Thomas' eyes widened. He felt like punching his _stupid_ father in the nose. He had been using all of his money to pay rent for his unnecessarily large business complex. If his father realized how big his office building was, he was sunk in deep trouble. Of course, Thomas' reaction did not go unnoticed by his younger sister, Katherine.

Lindsae came pounding down the creaky stairs, book bag slung over her shoulders. She swiped a bagel off of the counter and continued her race through the house.

"I'm going to miss the horse-bus! See you, Katherine! Bye, Thomas, Dad! Katherine- go do your hair before your bus comes in a half hour!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner. Lindsae was in the fourth grade at elementary school. Katherine was in secondary school in the seventh grade. She raised a hand to her hair, finding a rats nest. She made a face and pushed back her chair, poised to go upstairs.

"Katherine, dear, would you put your dish in the bucket for me? Thank you, child," her father told her in a sugary sweet voice. Thomas glared at Katherine. His eyes turned into slits. She hurriedly did as her father told her then rushed upstairs. She never appreciated the attention she got from her father. She would rather do things herself instead of having everything given to her.

Her father always had a disliking for Thomas, so Thomas hated Katherine- who was loved by their father. Katherine grabbed a comb and spent an excruciating ten minutes attempting to get the comb through her tangled locks. She sighed and accepted her fate. She walked down the hallway and peeked into a door at the end. Her mother sat at her vanity table. Mrs. Pulitzer turned at the creak of the door. She saw the resigned look on her daughter's face and the brush in her hand, and a smile grew on her face.

"Finally! The day has come when I can do my first daughter's hair! Sit, darling," Katherine's mother told her in a sweet, melodic voice. Fifteen minutes later, Katherine had a prickling scalp from all the tugs her mother had pulled recently. She walked pleasantly to wait for the horse-bus, descending into her thoughts about the morning. She never noticed when other students came to wait beside her. She only knew the horse-bus arrived because of the clip clop of the horse's hooves.

She arrived home from a brutally long day at school to a warm hug from Lindsae. Sometimes Katherine felt like Lindsae was her older sister. The two were super close and always confided in one another. Before Katherine could even open her mouth to ask, Lindsae smiled and held up the newspaper she had stolen from their parents' room.

"Nothing interesting today. But, I did find something else that is interesting!" Lindsae told her older sister with a glimmer in her eyes.

"What?" Katherine asked, curious. Lindsae grabbed her hand and Katherine resisted for a moment until she dropped her book bag on the loveseat. Her arm was nearly ripped out of its socket when Lindsae eagerly pulled her to the kitchen table. A note had been dropped on it. Katherine rounded the corner of the table and brought the note closer to her.

 _Dear children,_

 _I just got word of an urgent business meeting in Santa Fe that I must be present at. I will be gone for the next three days. Your mother has come with me. Thomas, you must take care of the girls. Katherine, dearest, stay perfect. Lindsae, do your homework._

 _Father_

Katherine gaped at the letter. Was her father being serious? Thomas would most definitely not take care of them! He would more likely leave them to the dogs!

"I know, right?" Lindsae said, "He's practically asking us to fend for ourselves for the next few days!" A hand roughly took the note out of Katherine's view.

"What is this?" Thomas asked. He scanned the note, then sneered.

"Katherine, dearest, stay perfect," he said in a rude imitation of Mr. Pulitzer, "You know what? I have had _enough_ of this. You eat all his praise and 'my sweet' and 'dearest' and all other nicknames up. You take it for granted. You think everyone gets treated like a princess, don't you?"

"No! I don't like it and-"

"You are a liar on top of all of this as well? I am done with this behavior. I am done with this treatment. You need to see how most people, including me, are treated." Thomas dragged Katherine upstairs. Lindsae watched in shock with a horrified expression on her young face. Thomas dropped Katherine in her room and slammed the door shut, locking it. She collapsed on the ground. Her sobs grew louder. The nerves in her arms tingled from pain. Her chest heaved as she tried to calm herself down with no avail. After all her tears were spent, she decided to plan an escape.

"Katherine! Katherine! Are you okay?" Lindsae was heard through the door and she sounded completely desperate. Katherine sighed. Escape would have to come after consoling her younger sister.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sure Thomas will let me out soon," Katherine told Lindsae, trying to convince herself.

"No, Katherine. He came back downstairs after putting you up here and he told me, 'Don't even think about getting her out of there, or your punishment will be worse. She will be in there for three days, or until Father comes home. _No word_ of this can get to him.' Well, something like that. But, oh, Katherine, what are we going to _do?_ " She sounded truly traumatic. Katherine racked her mind for any thought to console herself and her sister.

"Lindsae." Katherine took a risky move. If this didn't work out, Lindsae would surely do something she would later regret.

"Yes?"

"Use your persuasion skills to convince Thomas to give me food. If I'm in here for three days, I'm going to need food." Katherine could almost see Lindsae's eyes widening and the gears turning in her head.

"You… could…" Lindsae looked like she was going to be sick.

"Go." Without another word, Lindsae bolted. Katherine listened to her pounding footsteps until they faded out of earshot. She realized that before she could escape she would need to take stock of her supplies. She quickly turns in a circle, making a list. A pitcher of water. A fully made bed. A closet full of clothes. Nothing helpful. Katherine sighed. For once, being organized was not helpful. She stared out of the window in despair. Then she realized what she was doing. The window! Cliché, obviously. Whatever. It would work. She opened the window and stuck her head out. Crud. She forgot she was on the third level. Too far to jump. Well, at least if it was truly as awful as she was hoping it wouldn't be, she had another option.

After much pacing, Katherine fell asleep to a rumbling stomach and a confused mind- after all, she was only in the seventh grade.

She awoke to her door opening. She groaned and rolled over, momentarily forgetting about her imprisonment.

"Get up. Stop being so lazy." Immediately, the previous day came flooding back to her. She flinched at Thomas's voice. She needed a saving grace. An excuse. She needed an excuse for not being at school. Or doing her homework.

"I called the school and told them you went out of town with our parents for the next three days. Here's your food. It's all you're getting today." With the hat he slammed the door and left along with all hopes of getting out. The next two mornings passed similarly. Katherine definitely learned to appreciate her food, even though they were just stale scraps of bread and an occasional sip of soup. There wasn't even enough of the soup to sop up with her stale bread. When her dad finally, _finally_ came home and let her out, he embraced her in a big hug as if he expected Katherine to have a change of heart and hug him back. But no way was she that desperate. She actually just really needed to pee. She pushed away angrily.

That night she slept fitfully. There was no reason. She had been let out, her brother was punished, and she was alive. So why couldn't she sleep? Her mind tossed and turned, trying to come up with a reason. At around one o'clock in the morning, she finally fell asleep. Katherine awoke at dawn. She grabbed a biscuit and ran outside before any other members of her family arose. She had to get out of that house. If not for Lindsae, Katherine would have ran away a long time ago. After a block or two, she started skipping. She was free. No one could bother her. Her father couldn't spoil her out here. Her brother couldn't punish her for any excuse he came up with. She was free.

She was so eager to be free that she skipped right into someone. They both fell backwards onto their backsides. The other person got up before her. She saw it was a boy that looked to be a little older than she, with short, dark hair. He already had broad shoulders and muscled arms. He carried his bag slung over one shoulder. Newspapers were poking at odd angles out of it, so she could only assume he was a Newsie. And a cute one, at that. With melty brown eyes.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He asked and pulled her up, "I totally wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?" It was all she could do to keep her mouth shut. He was easily the most adorable boy she had _ever_ seen.

"Oh, er, it's not your fault. I wasn't looking where I was going, either. I'm fine. Are you okay?" She was proud of herself for not stuttering in front of a cute boy.

"I'm fine, too. Are you _sure_ you're okay? Name's Spot, by the way." Oh, goodness. Goodness, goodness, goodness. Did everything about him have to be amazing? Even his name made her want to melt inside.

"Katherine. Positive. I need a job." _What the heck, Katherine?_ She asked herself. _Why did you say that?_

"I bet you could be a Newsie. I've just never seen a girl Newsie before."

"I can do anything you can do." Katherine stuck her chin in the air.

"Then, come on! We have to ask my leader." Spot grabbed her hand, which nearly gave her a heart attack, and brought her to Zit.

"Zit! Can she be a Newsie?" Zit looked her up and down.

"If she can work hard all day long, she could be helpful. I bet people would rather buy from a girl than a boy." And that was that. Katherine was the newest Newsie of the Brooklyn Newsies.

The next few days, she never went home. Spot bought her her first day's worth of papes, but she did so well that she could pay him back and buy more papes the next day. She was happy as a Newsie. The boys were her friends. She could sell papes just as well as any of them. She could make her own decisions and not have everything given to her. She learned how to truly work. But then her father found her. He was so mad. He found her waving papers in the air with Spot nearby.

"What do you think you're doing?" He yelled, grabbing a fistful of papers and shaking them at her. "Do you think you can run off like that? No! You can't! Your sister has been miserable and worrying herself sick over your disappearance! I don't know why, though! I never realized you were such a _brat_! I gave you everything I could, and it obviously was for nothing. _Nothing!_ You are no longer my daughter. Stay away from me and my family. You don't belong with us." There was a second of silence after he turned on his heel and marched away, indignant. Then Katherine started sobbing. Whether it was with relief, or sadness- she will never know. Spot came running over.

Are you okay?" Apparently, that was his favorite thing to say. Katherine shook his hug off and turned and ran in no specific direction. She ran and ran and ran". She stopped at a corner after a few miles and plopped down. She needed to think. She needed to make a living. Being a Newsie was not going to help her survive. She also needed a pseudonym. Having the last name of Pulitzer wasn't going to let her stay away. Someone would turn her in, and she would have to get turned away from her family again. Speaking of family, she needed to write a letter to her sister. She needed a place to stay. Alright. Time to start on that list.

Living. She always did well on her essays in school. News reporter? Journalist?

Pseudonym. Something close to her name so she wouldn't get messed up. Katherine… Puller. No. Katherine… Plumber. Yes. Katherine Plumber.

Letter. Pen and paper and a decent brain is all that is needed for a letter.

Housing. She could stay with the Newsies. Proudly, she realized she had her life at the moment figured out. All she needed presently was to actually get a job. She looked up. Just down the street, there was a newspaper office. It was like a story in a book. It was miraculous. It was probably fake. She pinched herself. All that changed was her skin where she pinched it. It turned red.

She needed something she wrote to apply. She asked strangers for a paper and a pencil until she finally collected them both. After scribbling a page full of writing in her best handwriting, she wonderingly began her journey to the office. The door opened with a creak. A man looked up.

"Hello. I was wondering if I could possibly get a position here?"

"You're a little young. And you are a girl…." He looked at her doubtfully.

"I turn fourteen next week. Oh, come on. Are you really going to tell what gender I am, when I know perfectly well what it is without you observing. Here is a piece I wrote." He scanned the paper, eyes widening.

"This is good. Really good. Let me bring you to my manager." Katherine was amazed that there was another person she had to see. He walked her to a closed door in a different hallway. There was a plaque on the door that read, ' **Jeff Harding**.' She swallowed. The man knocked. A faint voice came from inside the room. It told them to come in. The man opened the door and ushered her in. He saw the terrified face on Katherine's face and decided to explain for her.

"This young lady has real talent. She looks young, but is almost fourteen. I'm sure we can find space for her. I don't why we have to care about her being a girl. We have a few fourteen year olds. Honestly, read this." Mr. Harding put down his papers and reached out for Katherine's sheet. The man handed it to him. Mr. Harding read the whole thing. He looked up into Katherine's eyes.

"You're going to get teased mercilessly. You are going to probably getting beaten and complaints against you because you're a girl. Do you still want to work here?"

"For sure."

"You're hired." He motioned for the man to leave the room and for Katherine to sit. Before he left, the man came over to Katherine and squeezed her shoulders.

"I knew you'd make it." The door shut quietly behind the man.

"I am Jeff Harding. You can call me whatever you like." He stuck out his hand. Katherine tentatively took it.

"Katherine Pul- _Plumber_."

"Well, Miss Katherine Plumber, you have your first assignment tomorrow. You are going to be promoting African American freedom to work. You will help host a drive for supplies for women seeking jobs. You will interview women and write articles about them looking at them in a good light. It would be fantastic if you could befriend one. A series of three articles is due in three weeks. I know you are new, but it seems like you could be the type of person to pull this huge project off with hardly a sweat. Are you up for it?" Katherine was openmouthed. She was jumping right in, according to this guy. She nodded, not being able to speak.

"Good. Then you will need supplies. Here are a few pens and a journal for recording information in. Here is a down payment to keep you alive for the next three weeks. Once a week you will come in here to type up an article. Let me give you a word of warning- you are the youngest worker and the only girl. You won't be favorited. I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow. You are dismissed." Katherine numbly stood up, grabbed her new working materials, and walked outside. As soon as the door was closed behind her she leaned on it and went limp. That went a lot better than expected.

She made it back to the lodge with the Newsies on time, but exhausted. She fell asleep the moment her head was headed for the almost empty pillowcase. The next morning, she rolled out of bed two hours before dawn. She lit a lantern and brushed all the other Newsies' stuff to the side of the only desk in the lodge. She sat on the creaky chair and flinched, expecting someone to have woken up with that noise. A few snored and rolled over, but the rest weren't even affected. They were all really deep sleepers. She opened her journal up to the very first page and smoothed it out. She clicked her pen open for the first time, the noise making her smile. She was ready to write a letter.

 _My dear Lindsae,_

 _That made me sound old, didn't it? Lindsae, I'm okay. I ran away because that house was unbearable. If I am to be completely honest with you, the only reason I hadn't ran away earlier was because I didn't want to leave you. Now, you are probably thinking, 'Well, Katherine, why'd you leave, then?' I have an answer for you. First of all, my reasoning was lopsided. Why should I stay for one good thing when there are two horrid things along with it? My other reason was that I finally realized that you are a big girl now. You know how to take care of yourself. You don't need me anymore. So I left._

 _I surprisingly took the news of being kicked out pretty well, actually. I have been hired as a Newsie and still am working as one. Then Father came and kicked me out. I immediately scored a job at a newspaper office. I think I will be fine living away from home._

 _I love you so much, Lindsae. Never ever forget that.. I miss you, but I know we will see each other again._

 _Your heartsick sister,_

 _Katherine_

After addressing the letter, it was sent on its way. The Newsies started waking up. They all gulped down breakfast together. Katherine didn't buy as many papes as usual and sold them within an hour. She immediately sprinted off to the drive where she was volunteering at. Halfway there, she ran into someone- _again._ This was honestly becoming a bad habit.

"I am so sorry!" She gasped.

"It's fine. I'm only on my way to a drive. Where are you going?" The speaker had a musical voice and brown skin. Katherine realized she must be going to the drive she was going to!

"Are you going to the one on Ninth street?"

"Yes! Are you?" The musical voiced lady sounded truly happy.

"Yes! Is it okay if I walk with you? I'm Katherine Plumber and I'm a reporter for the New York Suns." Katherine didn't know what made her open up like that. Something about this young woman just made her want to spill all her secrets to her.

"Of course, dearie! I am Medda Larkin. I dream to be a theatre star and own my own theatre." The bells in Katherine's head were ringing so loud they started to give her a headache. What if she helped this lady to get a theatre joint and star in it? It would be so good for women all over the United States to see that anyone do anything. It would be such a good story that would be fun to read. She should do it. This lady was nice. She supposed she could try to interview her on the way to the drive.

"Dearie? What are thinking about in that seemingly brilliant mind of yours?"

"Miss Medda, I was thinking up ways to ask you if you were okay with me helping you open a joint and interviewing you?" Medda squealed.

"Are you being serious right now? Because if you aren't, I will kill you! And, Katherine, just call me Medda."

"Nope! Not kidding! I know somewhere we can get the funds- I think. I'm pretty sure they'll let us have the money. I could also use your interview in an article a few weeks from now."

"Well, honey, I would need you to help me get it running. It's a lot to ask. You first have to put it together by buying a place and furniture for it. Then you have to get decorations and maybe some props. Finally, you have to get it out to the public. Running a theatre is harder than it looks," Miss Medda warned. Katherine thought about it. This _would_ be a good story and she could make a new friend. It could also teach her something about actually running a business. She smiled.

"I'll help you."

"Why would you help me when you don't even know me?" Medda sounded amazed at how willing Katherine was to help.

"One, this story would look amazing in the paper. Before you think I'm heartless, it would help me make a friend. And, third, it can help me learn how to start a business. I could also help with finances. My father and brother are business owners- I know a thing or two about money," Katherine said as they walked into the food drive. She fished a can of canned beans out of her bag. She had bought both with leftover Newsie money. She set it on a table full of cans. She was surprised at how well it was doing for how early it was in the morning. Lindsae would have loved this. She would have walked around and chattered to all the ladies with a shine in her eyes as she saw that there was still good people in the world.

Katherine had to shake herself out of her wistful thinking. She saw a woman who was one of the few whites in the room. The woman was someone who looked like she might be a leader for this drive. She walked over to the woman shyly. She still was young and was not used to talking to adults as her equals.

"Hello. I'm Katherine Plumber. I'm here to volunteer and get information for a newspaper article I'm writing on this drive to help these women." The woman looked at Katherine curiously.

"You're so young. Shouldn't you be in school?" Katherine panicked.

"I, well, got permission to not go to school so I could write this article because there was no one else on shift that was available to come to this drive or write a few articles because they're all busy with other projects." Katherine winced internally. She knew that sounded fake. People could not know who she was. They would bring her home and someone would turn her in. Her mother would make her father bring her back. She could not stand going back. She would die if she went back. Surprisingly, the woman bought it. She smiled brightly and stuck out her hand.

"Hello, Katherine. I'm Laura Hopkins. I am glad you came. I'm sure all of the ladies are fine with you interviewing them if you need to. I believe we are stocked with volunteers for the next few hours, so you don't need to help at the moment. You can get started on gathering information. All of the women are super nice, they will help you for sure. Good luck!"

"Thank you!" Katherine quickly backed away. She ran into Medda. She told her of her plans to go interview women and they decided to meet back in a certain corner in around two hours. Freed, Katherine looked around for someone, anyone, to interview. She saw a younger woman looking bored on an end of the bagged foods table and decided to start there. She made her way over nervously.

"Hi. I am Katherine Plumber and I was wondering if you wanted to get interviewed for an article that I'm writing?"

"Of course, sweetie! I'd love to!" Katherine breathed a sigh of relief. Now just for the interview. She brought the woman to a quieter area and opened her journal. She saw the torn edge at the front of the book and thought of Lindsae. She was instantly saddened. She pulled herself out of her sadness. She could not thinking about her personal life during an interview. Katherine decided to cut to the chase.

"Why did you come here to New York to find a job instead of somewhere else?"

"I heard that there was lots of business here and decided to take the risk that they wouldn't accept an African-American woman. I also wanted to help support women who can't find jobs and thought, well, what better place than New York?"

"Where did you come from?"

"I took the train from Santa Fe to here." Katherine paused in her scribbling and took a deep breath through her nose trying to keep her emotions in check. Santa Fe brought back bad memories.

"What would you tell a newcomer that is like you?"

"I would tell them to be strong and courageous. Life here isn't all money and rainbows. You have to work extra hard because people would rather give jobs to others- specifically white men. The pay is horrible for black women, so don't be embarrassed to show your face at a drive for food."

"That was very helpful. Thank you…"

"Karen."

"Thank you, Karen." Katherine made her rounds and interviewed at least a half dozen more people before the two hours were up. She met up with Medda in the corner. Medda had flushed cheeks and a huge grin on her face.

"How is it going? Seems like you are enjoying yourself," Katherine said with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, yes! The women here are so kind and inspirational and full of grit! I could stay here all day listening to them talk," Medda replied dreamily. Katherine had to laugh, despite the turmoil in her head about how horrible New York was to these hardworking women.

"Then go talk some more! Tomorrow I can go see if I can get the funds to start the theatre, so start getting ideas about where you want it and furniture ideas. Also, start preparing for interviews that you will be getting." Medda's face lit up. It was nearly glowing. Her eyes were brighter than the light in the room.

"Katherine! You are too kind! Can I meet you here tomorrow at five o'clock for discussing decorations and locations?" Medda breathed.

"I can do that. Now, shoo! Go enjoy yourself instead of boring yourself here with me!" Katherine shook her head as she spoke. Medda shot her a grin and immersed herself in the crowd once again. Katherine decided to search for Laura and ask if she could help. After she wove herself through the crowd at least twice, she finally caught sight of Laura at the perishable foods table. She ran up to her before she could lose her again.

"Laura! Is there any way I can help?" Katherine asked, breathless.

"Actually, there is an opening in the back where you can count our donations. Thank you, young Katherine," Laura said. She smiled warmly at the almost-fourteen year old. Katherine smiled back. She made her way to the back and grabbed a pre-made sheet where she could mark down the numbers. She greeted the others in the back with a small smile, then got to work and delved deep into her mind.

The knowledge of being disowned was finally catching up. With the letter to Lindsae on its journey and her getting two jobs, the horrible truth was finally coming around.

She could never see Lindsae again. She could never go home. She could never see her mother again. She would never be able to complete her education. She was alone. Completely alone.

Katherine fought the lump in her throat for as long as possible. She worked in the back for almost another hour before she had to push the work away. She nodded goodbye to the other workers in the back, whom had been circulating. Walking back into the main room she waved to Medda to signal she was leaving. She found Laura and, not trusting her voice, shook her hand and gave her a tight-lipped smile. She clutched her journal tightly. She opened the door to go outside. She walked for a block, feeling trapped and like she couldn't breathe. She burst into a run. She needed to feel the cool night air on her face. She ran all the way back to the lodge and only paused to look at the building of her new work for a moment. The Newsies were all eating and looked up, surprised, when she ran past them all. Nothing could get past the lump that was continuously getting larger. She burst into the room where they all slept in the Lodging House and fell onto her bed.

After laying there for a minute, breathing heavily, she released the cries she had been holding in for the past hour and a half. The sobs racked through her body for what felt like hours. At one point, she felt a warm hand on her back and heard Spot asking if she was alright, but she was crying too hard to respond. The hand left her. A few minutes after Spot left, her bed was crowded around with worried Newsies.

"Katherine? Are youse okay?"

"Is she gonna be okay, Spot?"

"Is dis behavyer normal for goils, Zit?"

"Newsies! Leave her alone! She obviously needs comfort, not interrogation!" Katherine mentally thanked Spot. Someone lifted her up from behind and she continued crying in a sitting position. She was sobbing so hard, she began to fall forward. The same someone that picked her up grabbed her shoulders and pulled her onto his lap. Warm arms wrapped around her and she sobbed into Spot's shirt. He stroked her hair as she wet his shirt with salty tears.

Katherine slowly started to calm down until she was just sniffling. She didn't move her head from its place on Spot's chest, though.

"Katherine? Do you want to talk about what you were crying about?" Spot asked anxiously. Katherine reluctantly raised her head and looked up at Spot and his chocolate eyes. She shook her head even though those eyes were hard to resist. She then wiped her face with the back of her hand and turned around. All the Newsies were gathered on the side of her bed and looked at her with mixtures of awe, worry, and terror.

"Ise never seen no one do _dat_ before," Zit said with wide eyes. All the other Newsies immediately started talking over one another. Zit raised his hands and then closed his fingers into his palms. The Newsies went quiet at once.

"Katherine. Is youse okay now?" Zit asked.

"Yes," Katherine whispered. Spot squeezed her a little closer.

"Alright then- Newsies, it's time fo' bed so please get into those wonderful boixes called beds!" Zit shouted over the complaints.

"Spot, you can stay there fo' as long as needed," he said just loud enough for Spot and Katherine to hear.

"Aye, aye, cap'n!" Spot told Zit teasingly. Amidst the chaos, Katherine looked back at Spot.

"Sorry about your shirt." She gave a little wet laugh, the tears still thick in her throat.

"It's fine! It'll help keep me cool in this hot room tonight! Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to go?" Spot's eyebrows scrunched together in a worried way. Katherine unconsciously clutched his shirt tighter.

"No! Don't go. I am almost fine. I'm getting there." Tears were regathering in the corner of her eyes so she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug to hide her face. She took a few deep breaths and the tears dissipated.

"You can go to bed if you want. Don't let me keep you awake," Katherine said. Her voice was muffled against his shoulder. She felt him breathe deeply. Katherine regretfully pushed away her short-lived crush for him as she realized that there was no way anything could come of it after this episode.

"I don't care if you keep me here. You tell me what you want me to do." Spot was too kind. He made Katherine feel like she was not good enough. That she was too quick to judge and too harsh. That she wasn't kind enough. That she wasn't someone who could be loved.

"Stay."

Katherine woke up the next morning to sound of murmurs. She opened her eyes and sat up. All the Newsies were awake and were trying to be quiet to keep her from waking up. She had apparently fallen asleep on Spot last night. She supposed he must have covered her up and went to bed himself. Spot was bleary-eyed. She must have fallen asleep late last night so he didn't get a lot of sleep. She sent him a look that said, 'I'm sorry' with her eyes. He smiled and waved his hand like it was no big deal. But it was. Katherine would have found no comfort last night if it weren't for him.

"Good morning. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Wese, uh, didn't know if dat was noimal for a goil, so wese let ya sleep."

"It's normal. Don't worry about it." And with that, Katherine was up. She got ready in record time. And, with flushed cheeks, was ready with the rest of the Newsies. She once again bought not very many papes- around thirty- and sold them quickly. She ran off at a steady pace to find her new office. She arrived at the corner where she had made her mental checklist and reviewed it. Everything seemed to be checked off. She happily- well, as happy as you can be when the night previously had been spent sobbing like the world was at its end- walked into the New York Sun's post office. The smell of paper greeted her and she inhaled it gladly. Once again, the same man looked up and greeted her.

"Hello, miss. I'm afraid I still haven't gotten your name."  
"Katherine. Katherine Plumber."

"Well, Katherine, I have been told to show you to your new working station. Right this way, please," the man told her. She followed him through a hall she hadn't been in yet. This one was full of paintings, so full that you could hardly see the white wall behind it. He opened a door and behind it was a typewriter. A stack of paper was placed next to it. When they walked in, you could see many more typewriters on desks, some of which were occupied. The floor was carpeted and the walls were empty except for a few framed articles. Katherine spun around in a slow circle, completely in awe.

"This is…." The man chuckled.

"Amazing, isn't it?" He sighed, "If I was going to be a reporter, this is exactly where I would want to work." He got no response, as Katherine was running her hand along the nearest typewriter.

"The typewriter you are currently touching is yours for using. Take care of it! I'll leave you now." The door shut quietly behind him as Katherine continued standing in front of the typewriter. After a few minutes, she realized what she was doing and blushed, even though no one was watching her. She sat down and put a piece of paper into the typewriter. She pushed the bar that got the paper inserted and indented. She opened her journal and examined her notes. She experimentally pressed a key, then her fingers began flying.

An hour later, she sat back contentedly and reread her work.

 _Women Attempt To Find Work_

 _Many people wonder what has been happening lately with the African-American movement here to New York. They ask, "Why does this matter to us? How does it affect us?" I am here to give those who ask an answer. Yesterday, a drive took place on Ninth street. This drive was held to help African-American women. It was a food drive, so people came to drop off basically any type of food that was divided between women who came and asked for it. They had a grand total of 1,274 food items. I asked a few women what their advice would be for any other African- American women who are struggling to find work and provide food for themselves._

 _Karen Tyson said, "I would tell them to be strong and courageous. Life here isn't all money and good works. You have to work extra hard because people would rather give jobs to others- specifically white men. The pay is horrible for black women, so don't be embarrassed to show your face at a drive for food."_

 _Ryenna Seabury told me, "Why should women feel embarrassed about asking for help? Help is something that everyone needs. So, what? We shouldn't be embarrassed that some business owner who is an idiot isn't letting us get a job! We should be angry, and they should feel embarrassed for turning down hands that were willing to work!"_

 _Lauren Holcomb said, "Women are cleverer than men. They have it harder than men. They have more struggles than men. Women are probably better workers than men. Why do people want to add just one more burden to our already heavy shoulders?"_

 _As you can see, African-American women aren't afraid to stand up for themselves. They work hard, and don't get discouraged when they don't get what they want. I hope you consider this article helpful. Please consider helping me and so many others promote freedom of working for these African-American women._

 _\- Katherine Plumber_

Katherine smiled. This article was better than any essay she had written and it was going to get published. Published! She pulled out the paper full of words and walked out of the room with the article clutched to her chest. She had a noticeable spring in her step. There was a different man in the lobby when she came out. The man took the article from her and glanced over it. He gave her an approving glance and handed the article back.

"You can go give this to Mr. Harding. He has been waiting for you." Katherine nervously walked down the hallway on the left to Mr. Harding's office. She knocked lightly. She heard someone getting up from a chair and walking over to the door. Mr. Harding opened it and smiled hugely when he saw who it was.

"Katherine, dear! Did the others treat you badly?" Katherine shifted uncomfortably underneath the kind man's gaze.

"We, uh, didn't actually speak to each other," she said and looked at the ground. Her mind told her that this was the wrong answer but Mr. Harding didn't seemed fazed.

"Ah, well. You can't have everything. Now, let me see what you have written for your first article." Katherine handed over her article nervously. He brought it back to his desk and sat down heavily. Katherine hovered next to the desk. A minute later, he looked up at her with almost literal bug eyes.

"I think… that you might be one of the best writers in our business." Katherine felt like she grew three inches taller with that praise. She bit her lip and tried to keep the smile off of her face.

"This will be in the paper tomorrow, so tell your family to look in it for an article by you!" Katherine's happy feeling deflated and her stomach tightened painfully. She nodded.

"I also found a woman who I can get started on a business. It would make a great story." Katherine closed her eyes and breathed out once.

"Then why wouldn't you do it? Why wouldn't you get her started?"

"Because, Mr. Harding, we need the funds to start it. She's broke, and I am too, more or less."

"Well, you should have just said so!" Mr. Jeff Harding opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out more money than Katherine could ever have needed to start a business.

"Will this be enough?"

"That is _more_ than enough. I don't need all of that!"  
"Just take it! Now, I have some work to do, so if you will excuse me," Mr. Harding said as he gestured to the papers scattered all over his desk. Katherine grabbed the money and turned away gladly and exited his office. She ran through the hall and outside to freedom. She popped into the building next door to look at the clock. 4:45! She had to go meet Medda! She sprinted down to Ninth street and her hair flew behind her. She arrived at exactly five o'clock and saw Medda waiting for her. Medda didn't even greet her, she just grabbed Katherine's arm and dragged her into a nearby furniture shop.

"So, I've been looking for furniture all day and decided on what I want. I just need the money. I also have my curtains and pillows for the chairs picked out- oh, hi, by the way." Katherine shook her head in amusement.

"I'll only buy it if you agree to accept an interview tonight," Katherine bargained.

"Oh, fine," Medda sighed. Katherine grinned and helped lug all of the furniture and home decoration back to where Medda was living. Her arms were exhausted, but she still pulled out her journal and recorded every word the chatterbox named Medda Larkin spoke to her.

When she got back to the Newsies Lodging home, she ate dinner and greeted the Newsies. By the time she made it up the stairs and into her bed, she was practically sleep-walking. She dreamed of thousands of ink bottles and pens dancing on a whole table covered with stacks of paper, creating a story. The table was swept off with a mysterious gust of wind. Her father stormed in and started yelling at her. He morphed into Thomas who slapped her across the face multiple time. He then changed into her mother who put on a creepy smile and held up a hairbrush. Her mother shrunk and became Lindsae. Lindsae hugged Katherine.

"Have courage. I'm coming to find you." Katherine squeezed Lindsae tighter. Lindsae evaporated into silver sparkles and floated away. Katherine had no more dreams that night and woke up sick with missing her sister. Her stomach physically hurt and she had a pounding headache. She got up and found that she had a neck cramp. _Great,_ she thought, _just great._ She didn't eat very much breakfast and bought her normal amount of one hundred papes. She sold them all by three o'clock, probably because she looked so miserable. She decided to go take a nap at the Lodging House and was on the way back to it when Medda ran up, out of breath.

"Katherine! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! I found a place where we could have my theatre. It has a stage, so it must have been one in the past. It even has a balcony above it, which would be fantastic for seating! Oh, Katherine, it's amazing! And I haven't even told you the best part!" Medda's optimism made Katherine's headache ten times worse. She decided to just listen and do whatever it was Medda wanted as fast as possible so she could go to bed.

"It's cheap!" Medda almost screamed. Her eyebrows her almost in her hairline and her smile reached her ears.

"Yay!" Katherine did her best to sound enthusiastic and not dead.

"Can we get it? Can we get it?" Medda sounded younger than Katherine, when in all reality she was probably a decade older than her. Katherine gave a genuine smile for the first time that day, but it faded quickly.

"Yes! Just show me where the contractor is, so I can hand over the money." She somehow managed to put some spark in her words. Medda's whole body perked up as if she had just realized it was Christmas morning. Medda turned right and Katherine wearily followed.

Forty five minutes later, they were still walking. Medda was just as perky as before. Katherine was slumped over and felt like she was going to throw up. They finally arrived at the home of the contractor and Katherine sighed loudly. She thought about the long walk back and nearly collapsed right there on the front porch. Medda rang the doorbell before Katherine even had time to blink or compose herself. The door opened and Medda seemed to blind him with her bright smile.

"Hi, there! I'm here to put an offer on the house you are currently trying to sell." The contractor stood there for a second, trying to comprehend what she had just said because he was recovering from the after effects of that smile.

"Okay. Great. The people who own it are so desperate to get rid of it so they can move to Minneapolis that they are willing to accept any offer."

"We will buy it for the price it's currently placed at," Katherine spoke up after trying to make herself look lively.

"Thank you, misses. Mr. and Mrs. Tyvec will highly appreciate this."

"How much was the place again, Medda?" Katherine asked. Miss Medda answered and she handed the money to the contractor who continued thanking them profusely. Katherine kept nodding after each 'thank you,' while she tried to drag Medda, who was eating up the praise, out the door. After the door was shut firmly behind them, Katherine set off towards the Lodging House.

"Goodnight!" Medda shouted from down the street. Katherine was too tired to yell, so she waved a hand without turning around. The walk was even longer in the dark. She finally arrived at home at 7 o'clock. Dinner was coming to a close. She opened the door to the kitchen and everyone turned around and stopped their cheerful chatter.

"Katherine! Where has youse been?" A Newsie shouted out. Other Newsies murmured their agreeing questions.

"I… have been window shopping," Katherine lied. She didn't know why she couldn't tell the Newsies about Medda but something had stopped her. The clueless boys would only assume it was something girls did on a regular basis.

"But youse missed dinner?" Zit asked.

"I got really caught up in it. I'm going to go to bed now," Katherine said. Her head still ached and her stomach still hurt. Her feet killed and she hardly made it up the stairs. She collapsed on her bed, but couldn't fall asleep for the longest time. She tossed and turned until after midnight. She finally fell into a fitful sleep for around seven hours.

When she got up, her trials from the day before had been removed from her but had been replaced with exhaustion. She finally dragged herself out of bed and found the Lodging House empty. She accepted the Newsies decision of letting her sleep and decided it was the best choice that could be made. She found a bowl of popcorn cereal at the kitchen table and she smiled. She ate it slowly and enjoyed the feeling of having food in her belly.

After the whole bowl had been devoured, she decided to do the Newsies a favor. She did their dishes and washed any extra clothes they might have had. She mopped the floor and dusted. She rearranged the chairs in the lobby because they were all crooked. She picked up their bedroom and made all the beds. She hung the clothes up on a clothesline. She folded them neatly and placed them on the owner's bed. She decided to start preparing a dinner for the Newsies which would be something they hadn't had for a while. Steak. Steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans. She grabbed some money from the jar on the counter that was for food and ran to the store. Katherine spent the rest of the afternoon cooking. She was proud of herself for being able to clean an entire house full of a ton of boys in one day. She also agreed with the rest of the Newsies: she needed a day off.

The Newsies all walked into the kitchen with hunger-crazed looks on their face.

"Is dat steak Ise smells?"

"And mashed potatas?" Katherine giggled. They all looked like they were in a trance.

"Yes, boys. Now sit down so I can be helpful for once and dish you all up," Katherine ordered. The Newsies scrambled around to find a seat quickly. As Katherine walked around the table serving people, she remembered the newspaper she had saved to read with her 'brothers.'

"Hey- Katherine- what's in the Sun today?" Spot called out. Perfect. He played right into Katherine's hands.

"Oh, I don't know, I haven't read it yet. Why don't you tell me?" She asked and reached behind her for the paper sitting on a side table. She took a quick glance at the front cover and nearly fell face first into the bowl of mashed potatoes she was holding in one hand. Her article was on the front cover- above the fold. She handed it to Spot and her hands were shaking. Katherine knew they would recognize it was her because even the Newsies knew her as Katherine Plumber. Except for Spot. Spot knew what her real last name was because he was there when her father disowned her. Spot dropped his fork and gaped at the paper in front of him.

"Katherine! What?" Katherine smiled.

"What is it, Spot?" Zit grabbed the paper, "No way, Katherine. Youse wrote dis?" Katherine's smile just grew bigger. The paper went around the table with Newsies exclaiming left and right.

"I got another job. That's why I've been coming home late and not buying as many papes. I am helping a lady by the name of Medda Larkin start a theatre and I am a reporter for the New York Sun!" Katherine crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that they wouldn't kick her out for lying to them. Instead, they acted the complete opposite. As one, they got up and gave Katherine a group hug complete with the bowl of mashed potatoes poking a Newsie in the stomach.

"Alright, alright! Go eat your dinner!" Katherine laughed. The conversation that night was centered around her.

After they had finished eating, Katherine sent them to bed and insisted that she could clean up herself. She was so happy and proud that she started humming a tune that she and her sister had made up a few years before while washing the dishes. Around the second verse, she realized that someone was singing softly behind her. She whipped around and suds flew everywhere. Lindsae was standing there with the biggest smile she could muster on her face. Katherine squealed and threw her bubble covered arms around her beloved sister. They stood there for a few moments and rocked back and forth, not wanting to let go of each other. Katherine finally pulled back to look at Lindsae's face.

"How did you get Father to let you come find me?" She breathed and her eyes never left the ten year old's face. Lindsae's smile extended even farther, if that was possible.

"I came under the pretense of meeting the star reporter of the New York Sun!" She pulled her older sister in for another hug.

"How did you know where I was?" Katherine murmured into her sister's hair.

"All people over here can talk about is how there is a new girl Newsie, so I thought I'd check it out." The rest of the evening was spent hugging and talking. Katherine finally sent her sister home to go to bed. Lindsae left with promises to visit often. Katherine fell asleep that night with a smile on her face.

The next three weeks passed quickly. They were filled with carrying things into Medda's theatre, decorating her theatre, cleaning it, interviewing women, writing articles, selling papes, being what felt like a housemaid in the Lodging House, and visits from Lindsae. Every night she fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, and every morning she woke up at the crack of dawn. One morning, Lindsae made a statement that changed Katherine's day to day life.

She said, "I think you have too much on your plate. I think you need to focus on your better paying job." That was when Katherine realized that she had to quit being a Newsie. Katherine was horrified at herself when she first thought that, but a week later she had come to terms with that fact. She planned to have her last day an off day. She didn't sell any papes and just spent the day cleaning and cooking. The Newsies came home to a bawling Katherine and a homecooked meal of steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

"Why is youse cryin', Katherine?" A young Newsie questioned.

"Because… because I'm leaving you," she whimpered. She was taken over by depression at that moment, even though she knew that she had to leave.

"Are youse going on a trip?"

"No, Zit, I have to… to _quit_." Katherine put her head in arms and cried right there at the table for a minute or two while the Newsies stared at her in shock.

"Whyse do you have to quit?"

"I have no time anymore! Medda's theatre is premiering in a few days and it's going to get crazy. I promise I'll visit! I do!" She looked up with her tearstained face and saw Spot's face. It was covered with shock, disappointment, and even anger.

"Please don't be mad," Katherine whispered up at him. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she left Spot and he was mad. All the anger melted away and his face transformed into sadness and resignation. He leaned down and hugged her tightly. Katherine felt her top getting wet and cried even harder. If Spot was crying, something bad had to be happening. He was such a strong individual. The Newsies each hugged her one by one. They all looked at her with sorrow-filled faces. She ran to Spot and gave him one last hug. She pulled away and kissed his cheek.

"I'll never forget you," she told him in a tormented voice. With that, she turned and fled the Lodging House.

A month later, she had visited twice and Medda's theatre was in full swing. The audience always loved her and it was the most popular joint in upstate New York. Katherine ended up going back home and her father let her have a place to live, though he always was cold-hearted towards her. She spent almost all waking hours in the theatre with Medda.

One day, while Medda was preparing for another show, a frantic knock came at the door. Katherine turned and called upstairs to Medda. There was no response, so she ran upstairs to get her. After she started making her way to the stairs, the door had opened behind her, and Jack Kelly came in with his hands on his knees. He glanced upwards and saw red hair flying around a corner. That was his first sighting of Katherine Plumber. Little did he know, it wouldn't be his last.


End file.
